Perhaps, one of the most popular stories of President-Elect John Dramani Mahama’s growing up years is the fact that he has shared his experiences in a book.

That book, My First Coup d’Etat, detailed some of his experiences from the era of coups in Ghana, but in a recent video that has popped up online, Mahama is also heard speaking about how he had to go live in Nigeria at that point.

Speaking to a gathering, he explained the circumstances to led to him staying in Nigeria for a few years and how he has grown to love the country, even to the point of calling it home.

“Let me clear a few things first, one, about my Nigerian antecedents. My stepmother is Nigerian, who raised me and she comes from Ofa, Kwara State… at a point in time, when there had been a coup in Ghana, my father lived in exile here in Nigeria, and I had to come stay with my stepmother for many years in Ofa.

“So, I know Ofa quite well, and I consider that my hometown here in Nigeria,” he told a gathering in Nigeria.

Today, John Dramani Mahama is Ghana’s President-Elect, awaiting to take the oath of office on January 7, 2025, from where he will complete his next four years of constitutional term in office.

It will also be his last time as president, seeing that he served as Ghana’s president between January 2013 and January 2017, when he handed over to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

On January 7, 2025, Akufo-Addo will, literally return the favour when he hands back the political power to Mahama.

Watch John Mahama speak about his time in Nigeria in the video below: